Reflections on 2006

It's a month into 2007 and I thought a reflection on 2006 would be something interesting to write about. It's interesting for me at least.

I can remember being a little apprehensive when 2006 started. I was about to do something that I had never done before, and that scared me a little. I knew my parents felt the same way, but I was more than surprised when I found that my father was the one that was nervous about me living away from home for a few months and my mother was at ease. It's always interesting when gender roles get reversed.
January was a hectic month. I started a job in Disney, that I had no inclination that would eventually change me the way it did, moving into an apartment with people I had never even talked to, and meeting four of the most amazing people possible. The days at first seemed to slowly move to the next. Time at points stopped while I learned how to use machines that were made probably when the US occupied Vietnam.
January rolled into the February and I turned 20, and time picked up to its usual pace. February went to March and to April, then May.
The 5 months of Florida seemed like it would never end, and it also seemed like it was ending too soon. I wish I could explain what happened during those five months but I can't. It's something that I can not put into words, nor do I want to even try. I think everyone has those experiences in life that change them and don't know why.
The loneliest moments of 2006 are the ones that I spent at MCO Orlando International airport waiting for my flight home. The hours seemed like days, and I could not stand the thought of leaving everything in Florida and going back to being just another person in Massachusetts.
The summer rolled on and I played Spielberg with a DVD I created that showcased all my moments in Florida. I did the typical things that I had always done like working, riding, and have Colonial Drive nights. Having everyone visit Boston for a long weekend was a good time, but it also reminded me of the times in Florida and made me want to go back even more.
The Summer turned into Fall and I returned to the University of Massachusetts - Lowell. It wasn't until classes started that I knew things were just as they always were. School didn't change. My feelings about this place didn't change even though I hoped they would. I thought taking a semester sabbatical would turn me into some college genius.
The semester droned on as semesters do and I worked. The days got shorter and clouded and Florida seemed more of a thing of the past than something that just happened. After what seemed like forever the semester was over and it ended with a lack luster bang that I was not expecting.
The end of 2006 brought me full circle with working a few days in Florida. It was just how I left it. The faces have changed sure, but the management remembered me. I remembered how to operate all the equipment. It was comforting to be among the candies and the fudge that I had started the year with.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." 2006 has now moved on and its 2007. I find myself asking the question what am I going to do this year to change my life. What is there that I can do, where can I go to make my life different. There are many things that I hold inside that I want to experience. The many dreams that, eventually, will be let go. I know that I will be returning to Disney as a guest and Cast Member. I also know that there are many other things that aren't connected with Disney that I will do that will make me a better person. Maybe 2007 will also hold some of these experiences. Something that I learned, you can't plan everything out. But there are a certain few things planned that can change people and their lives...